Wilson had finally gotten House quieted down with a buttload of Lorazipam. He had been screaming and flailing wildly, tearing up everything in the corner, trying to find them. Glynda was in shock, unable to understand what had happened.

The police were taking the report from Glynda, "I know it sounds crazy, but she just disappeared. The wave swallowed them both up."

The detective told Wilson, "We'll put out an Amber alert for the baby. But my money is on you three. You better get lawyers."

House was on the couch, hunched over, staring at the rug. Every so often he'd get up and look under the couch or out the living room window or up at the ceiling.

"She was schizophrenic, so there's no telling where she went." The other detective said to a very shaken Glynda.

Glynda shook her head crying, "She didn't go anywhere. She was swallowed by the light. She didn't want to go."

"Right lady. Look, we've heard about mass hysteria. I think you guys saw her leave with the baby, know she's unbalanced and so in your mind she just disappeared."

"You are a f#cking moron. You're never going to find my girlfriend and my son." House said it with so much venom the detective almost flipped him off.

The police combed the entire block, found nothing and finally left.

Wilson drove Glynda home and then returned to find House with an open bottle of single malt whiskey in his hand. Wilson was confused and had to admit he wasn't sure what he had seen. He wanted House's opinion.

"What do you think happened?" Wilson was sitting back in the crook of the couch, his elbow and forearms on the back of the couch.

"I think she was telling the truth. I think she got pulled back to the future."

Wilson pulled back, "House, that's crazy!" But he didn't say it with conviction.

"Is it? Look at the facts. Except when she talked about where she was from, did Marie seem crazy to you?"

"No."

"She knew about the virus and had antibodies to variants that don't even exist yet. Right?"

"Yes."

"She predicted a few events while she was here, right?"

"Yes."

"And she was truly like a fish out of water in this time zone."

Wilson nodded.

"More importantly, she told me that this would happen, that when the gate would open it would be a blue-green light in waves like the ocean." He started to cry, "I didn't believe her. All this time and I thought she was nuts. She was so frightened about being taken when she was pregnant . She was afraid that Percy would be taken from her and raised in Colonies. God, I thought she was nuts." He looked up, his eyes red and burning, tears falling on the floor, "Did you see her try to give us Percy? She didn't want him to go with her. The look on her face, the abject horror of not being able to give him to us. My son is going to go to a Colony for men. He'll be raised like an animal, caged in a Colony." He looked up at Wilson as if Wilson could help him. He collapsed again into his hands, shaking and moaning.

Wilson ran his hand through his hair, unable to deal with the reality of it. If House was right, Percy would lead a miserable life. Wilson put his arm around House's shoulder and sat there holding his friend until House was physically exhausted and unable to cry any more.

"What is that?" 11017 asked, her eyes wide open. She darted around Marie like she was holding a snake.

She was too emotional to answer. Her sobbing filled the huge room that enclosed the Time Gate. "No, no, no. Oh, God, no!" She stood up, holding Percy close to her, "You have to send me back. Now! Please send us back." She ran up to Mabel, the tears and snot streaming down. "Mabel, send me back, please."

11017 looked at her and then Mabel, "Why is she so distraught? We brought her home!"

Marie tried to choke back the sobs, "I have to go back. I can save the world, I know I can. I almost had a vaccine." She turned around so she could see both of them Her voice was urgent, plaintive, "I can achieve what we all want. Just let me go back."

"123265, what is going on? What is that in your arms?" 11017 was now sneaking up on her, as if to catch the "thing" in her arms by surprise.

She pulled the crying Percy close to her breast and away from 11017, "He's my son. His name is Percy."

"A male? A male baby? Oh my God, it is! it's a male baby!" She stumbled back away from Marie and flattened herself up against the wall. "You were pregnant and delivered a male baby?" 11017 stared in horror at Percy.

Marie stood up straight, "I got pregnant from sexual intercourse with a male that I had a relationship with and forty weeks later I delivered my son." Marie clamped her jaw together and narrowed her eyes, "11017, I love my son very much and no one, no one, is taking him from me."

"You had sex with a male? You let a male touch," her face scrunched up in distaste, "copulate, with you? What were you thinking? Copulating with a brainless, smelly, filthy male?"

"His father is brilliant, witty, handsome and he was kind to me, most of the time. He took good care of us. I want to go back." She started crying again, "We were a family. My son had parents who loved him. I want to go back." She shifted from crying to sobbing again.

11017 looked at Mabel. "Keep her and that, that male, here." 11017 was a tall, long haired brunette with a plain face who was known for being humorless. She flew out the door in search of guidance from her superiors.

Mabel crossed the floor and held out her hands to Marie. Marie pulled Percy back at first, but then saw curiosity, not hate, in Mabel's eyes. Marie realized that Mabel had probably never seen or held a baby, let alone a male one. Marie handed Percy to her. Percy stopped crying. She smiled and held Percy close. She looked at his fingers, his little fist, his chin, his face.

Mabel had a huge grin, "He has such beautiful blue eyes. They're so big, so bright, so blue! If all males looked like him, we'd let males live with us." She smiled and handed him back to Marie. "I'm afraid you've really thrown a wrench in things. Bringing a baby back was risky."

"I didn't want to bring him back, I didn't want to come back."

"Then why did you trigger the bank account? That's how we found you."

"I didn't think. I didn't realize that you would trace me that way. I know, I was stupid, but I needed money to find the vaccine. Mabel, my son needs to go back. He has all the necessary antibodies for a vaccine. He's normal, healthy, and his antibodies are killers, they kill the virus before and after the pandemic. He's it. He's the answer. If I can't go back then we have to send him back."

Mabel put her hand on Marie's cheek, "It's so good to see you. I missed you and your stupid wit!"

Marie softened, "Oh, Mabel, they can't send my son away to a farm or Colony." She whimpered a little. She stopped crying and took a breath. She sat down and calmed herself. After a few minutes she looked at Mabel, "I need things for him, diapers and clothes."

"What does he eat?"

"I feed him from my breast. But he also eats soft cereals, bananas, soft food."

She was shocked. "Really? From your breast? Can I see him eat from your breast?"

"Well, he's not hungry now, but he will be in a little while."

47256 and 11017 showed up with Catlin, one of the Governors. Catlin was a fair person. She took one look at Marie and Percy, "Oh dear. It's so good to have you home, but this development is very unexpected. Give me the male."

"No! I can't, I won't. This is my son. I am his mother and it's my duty to protect and nurture him. I won't let anyone take him from me." She saw that Catlin wasn't angry or disgusted. Her voice softened, "Catlin, my son has all the necessary antibodies for a vaccine. He will save the world, but I have to take him back so that his blood can be used before the virus recombines with the flu virus."

Catlin patted her shoulder, "Okay, we'll take all this into consideration, but first let's get you home. You can take your baby with you until the Board of Governors reconvene and make a decision on what to do with him."

Marie looked into her eyes, "I want representation."

Catlin nodded, "Okay, we'll get you representation, you're entitled to that."

"I need diapers, some baby clothes." Marie said.

"I'll have some ported over. Now go get some rest." She started to leave, but turned and smiled, "Before I go, can I hold your baby? I've never held one before."

Marie was reluctant at first, but she trusted Catlin. She handed Percy, who was squirming and starting to get hungry. He looked directly into Catlin's eyes, the blue even bluer from the surrounding blue waves that bounced around the ceiling. And then it happened, he laughed, melting the hearts of all the women in the room.

"House, you can't go around saying that she's gone back to the future. Even if it is true, no one is going to believe you. The cops are going to think you did something to her and the baby." Cuddy was sitting in a chair next to the couch in her office, holding House's hand in hers. Wilson was sitting in the chair opposite her, rubbing his forehead over and over. He missed Marie and her influence on House, but mostly he missed Percy. He was almost as depressed as House.

House was sitting on the couch, "You think it matters what they think? My son is in a society that raises their babies on farms without parents and then the males are shipped to a colony to do hard labor or, if he's lucky, bookkeeping or filing. Let's not forget that the mother of my son will be torn from him. I can't imagine Marie letting that happen without a fight. And I mean a physical fight. I could care less what the police think of me. What can they do to me that would be more painful than this?"

Cuddy was touched, "They aren't going to do anything. You have two excellent eye witnesses and nothing has been found. House, I'm so sorry about Percy. I know how much you loved him."

House kept staring, "Funny, I didn't know if I would love him and now I can't imagine not loving him. What a strange year it's been."

Cuddy gave him a warm smile, "Go home and get some rest. You can come back next week."

"If I go home, I'll just drink myself into oblivion." House got up and went back to work.

The police came again and asked him to come down to the station where he was questioned for the third time. Even Tritter, who joined the police investigators questioning him, told the other detectives, "He's a jerk with few morals, but he didn't hurt his son or his girlfriend. He tends to do things that hurt people emotionally. Physical abuse isn't his m.o."

House was exhausted by the end of the day. He went home to a quiet apartment, walked back to the bedroom and saw the crib with it's Star Wars theme. He smiled when he thought of the day they picked the crib set out. He's wanted trucks, she'd wanted big cartoonish frogs, but when they both saw Darth Vader and Chewbaca on the cover of a complete crib set,she squealed.

Marie turned to him, stunned, "You have the myth of Darth Vader and the Princess who conquered the males?"

He looked at her and scowled, "No, we have the story of Darth Vader and the two guys who rescued the Princess."

"I'm sorry, but Princess Leia Organa saves the Galaxy by enlisting the help of several males, but she clearly saved the Galaxy through her leadership and courage."

"Luke and Han Solo save the Galaxy through their wits, strength and power."

"Oh please." She said sarcastically.

"Does it matter? Whatever story it is, it's a cool crib set."

"I like it too. I can tell him all about the Princess."

"Yeah, and I can tell him about Emperor Palatine...besides, it's on sale."

The sadness was too much, he laid down on the bed and let the tears come again. He wondered if there would be a day where he wouldn't feel this overwhelming need to sleep to keep from crying.

It only took ten minutes and Marie found herself back in her flat, flying high over the clouds. She immediately realized that she would have to sell her flat if she couldn't get back to 2008. The flat wasn't intended for children, it floated on its own and had few barriers between it and the Delaware River below. It wouldn't be safe for Percy.

Mabel had ported Katmandu back to the flat and he was beside himself. He bounded across the floor and squirmed, his tail moving his entire body out of sheer joy. "Katmandu! Hey boy, ah, yeah...I missed you too. This is Percy. He's almost as squirmy as you!" Marie smiled for the first time since returning.

She put Percy down on her bed so that she could hug and play with Katmandu. Percy was awake and sitting up, so she grabbed him and took him into the living room to check her communivid. She found 152 messages, 3 which were supposedly urgent and 74 which were from friends wondering where she was. She went to the Nourish108 and requested a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The Nourish108 announced that many people were allergic to peanuts and that it would be wise to take a histapill before ingesting the sandwich. She ate the sandwich, drank some orange juice, which she realized was processed and not fresh like at home in 2008, and then she went into the bathroom. Marie threw her clothes on the floor, unable to put them in the recycle. She couldn't part with anything that she had brought with her. She walked through the hydraclean with a naked Percy, indicated that she wanted to be exfoliated, cleaned and moisturized. Within three minutes, she and Percy were done.

There was a musical sound that let her know something had been transported to her mini-dock. She went out and discovered a stack of diapers, baby clothes with a recycle program and a cube that when you touched the button on top, made into a bassinet. She picked them all up, took them to the bedroom, fed Percy, changed his diaper and gathered him up into her arms as she fell asleep.

"123265, this is 47959." The communivid was softly coming alive in the living room. She got up and went to answer it. "47959, how are you?" Marie asked.

47959 was close to 100 and was smiling, "I should ask you that question. You were gone twenty days and look what happened, you bring back a male baby from the past! The Board of Governors is meeting in an emergency session in three weeks to determine what to do with him and what your rights are. No one has had a baby in over one hundred years. It's unprecedented.

Marie didn't smile back, "I asked for representation at the hearing. Will I get a representative?"

"Your representative will be Carrie Anne23 Bay, she's the best there is. She's argued civil rights cases to the governors on several occasions. She knows all the players on the Board. 47256 told me that the male baby is actually quite pleasant for a male. Perhaps I'll stop by and inspect him later. They're going to let you keep him until the hearing. In the meantime, you need to keep a low profile. You gave us a scare, we didn't think we'd get you back. We were jubilant when you triggered the account, you don't know how many people were working on your case. Take care 123265."

Marie fed and cleaned Percy just in time for Mabel and Sarah's arrival. When Marie saw Sarah she fell into her arms and started to cry. Sarah was Marie's closest friend and had grown up with her.

"123265, you had a baby? A baby? I wasn't sure we could even gestate one anymore. Where is it?" She started looking around under things as if it were a small animal.

Marie laughed, "It is in the bedroom doing what it does best, sleep. I'll go get my son."

Sarah cringed, "Son. Ewww. What an archaic word."

Marie brought Percy out and watched as both Mabel and Sarah held him.

Sarah shrugged, "You know I've only seen a male once before. Can I see his genitals?" She smiled sheepishly at Marie.

Marie nodded.

Percy was now awake and so Marie stripped him down to show off his little willy and testicles. The women studied them, touching and pushing them around gently.

Sarah asked, "Do they stay the same size or do they grow with him?'

Marie giggled, "Oh believe me, they grow."

"Having this baby means you had sexual intercourse with a male, right?" Sarahs' nose wrinkled up.

"Yes, I had sexual intercourse and it was incredible. The sensations from it are wonderful."

"But aren't males horrid smelling? And it meant you had to touch him, right?"

Marie sighed. "They're not really smelly. Once you get used to them, men are okay. Just like women, there are some you need to avoid and others that you love being around."

Mabel shook her head, "Oh 123265, you better not talk like that in front of the Governors. You're already in trouble. They're going to come and test your male baby today to see if he really is healthy and has all the antibodies. If he does, it will be the first male to be completely immune to all variants of the disease and produce sperm. He really would be a miracle. I've plotted the outcome and I think if we sent him back, we could save at least half the population, the other half would be in countries where the infrastructures and economies would prevent their population from receiving the vaccine. But, imagine over half the population saved and healthy? It would be the miracle we've looked for all this time!"

"He is that miracle. I've got to get back to 2008, or at the very least, I have to send him back to his father."

"Tell us about his father." Sarah asked.

"I didn't like him at first. He can be very condescending. But he's very intelligent and it turned out in the end that he was very good to me. He adores Percy. I don't think he wanted to adore him, but he did. Mabel, let's look at his history."

They went to the vid screen. Marie gave Mabel House's information.

Mabel had a higher vid clearance than Sarah or Marie, so she sat down and let the screen scan her eye. "Search. House, Gregory. Date of birth, June 11th, 1959. Physician."

Marie inhaled sharply as House's holograph appeared on the screen along with a biohistory of his life. Marie tried to read it, but it became too painful.

"Oh, I see where Percy gets his eyes. Wow, he's very tall." Mabel was referring to the fact that few humans in their time zone were taller than 5'10" and most of them were female. "It says that he never married. That he was suspected of murdering his son, Percy Callahan-House and girlfriend, Marie Callahan, but no bodies were ever found and he was never charged formally. He died of an apparent accidental overdose of painkillers and alcohol in 2014. He achieved a moderate amount of notoriety as a brilliant diagnostician until the disappearance of his son and girlfriend. He spiraled down into deep depression, eventually being financially supported by friends and family until his death in 2014 at the age of 55."

Marie fell back onto the chair, the pain in her chest so overwhelming she could barely speak. "Mabel, we have to send Percy back. He can save the world and he can save Greg. Oh God, please. You have to help me."

Mabel looked uncomfortable, "Marie, I don't know. We have to wait for the Board of Governors. If he really is the miracle, then I'm sure they'll let us send him back. I don't know if they'll let you go back, you're knowledge could alter all scientific development."

She nodded and almost whispered, "I know. I'm willing to just send Percy back."

Sarah put her hand on Marie's shoulder. Marie looked up into Sarah's golden-brown eyes that were framed by her short chestnut hair and angular features. "Marie, I heard Carrie Anne23 Bay is taking your case. She's going to argue for you in front of the Governors. Maybe you should have her represent Percy instead. He's the one that has the need for representation."

"You're right! When she gets here, I'll tell her.'

Percy started to cry and the two women watched in shock as Marie, now naked like the other two women, simply held Percy up to her breast and he latched on.

"Does that hurt?" Sarah asked.

Marie chuckled, "At first your nipples are sore, but they toughen up and now it doesn't hurt at all. It's quite lovely holding your child and watching them get nourishment from you."

Mabel chuckled, "It seems strange, we haven't used our breasts in over a century for that purpose. I almost forgot that that's what they're for."

The vidscreen came on again. "123265, this is Carrie Anne23 Bay." Her kind face filled the large vidscreen. I'd like to come and see you in an hour."

"Yes, Carrie Anne23, that would be great."

Mabel and Sarah eventually left, but told Marie they would be back that night to hear what Carrie Anne23 had to say. Marie was sad to see them go. They were the two people she could trust the most with everything that was happening to her.

Percy played with his mother for a few minutes and them fell asleep in her arms. She stared at the larger than life holovid of Greg's face on the screen and thought of how much he must miss them. How he now must believe her. As the history read today, he obviously did nothing with her research and since they would have needed more of Percy's blood to develop the vaccine, the research probably went nowhere. Knowing Greg, he was in too much pain to care if anyone else lived or died anyway. She would have to ask Mabel how much history had been changed just by her being there over a year. On her way to her flat, she had seen more people in the streets, but they were still women. Obviously, her slip had caused some kind of a ripple, but what she didn't know. Men were still in Colonies.

Marie wasn't sure what Carrie Anne23 Bay would be like, but when she entered the flat, Marie immediately liked her. She was pleasant, shorter than Marie and carried a little more weight on her petite frame, but not much. But her quick smile and sharp eyes told Marie that Carrie Anne23 was intelligent and was excited by the challenge.

After the pleasantries were over and Carrie Anne23 sat with her cup of tea, she looked up at the vidscreen. "Who is that male?"

"Percy's father."

"For an older male, he's good looking. It's those eyes, isn't it? Does Percy have his eyes?" Percy had been asleep ever since Carrie Anne23 arrived.

"Yes, he does. They're beautiful." She turned back to her, "Carrie Anne23, I want you to represent my son."

"Your son?"

"Yes, his rights are more important than mine. He is the solution to The Scourge." Marie told Carrie Anne23 the whole story, the conception, the disease, the miracle that was contained in the tiny 16 lb. baby that lay sleeping in the basinet.

Carrie Anne23 listened and was moved by the love and sorrow in Marie's voice. She wondered if all mothers had felt this for their babies? If so, the loss of their children, their husbands, their families to The Scourge must have been a sorrow so great that the entire world dripped in their tears.

"I understand. I'll represent him. I will try, at the very least, to get them to let him stay with you. But, if his tests show he is the miracle you say he is, then I will argue strenuously, to whoever will listen, that he be allowed to return to his father and that you go with him.I want you to understand that you're up against a lot of prejudice. You didn't just have a baby. You had a male baby. There's many Governors that not only fear males, they hate them too. I know two that have advocated the annihilation of the male population and that we resort to genetic engineering to keep the population at status quo."

"But that flies in the face of the creed to restore the human race to a natural balance."

"Yes, but several of them think that the creed is antiquated and unnecessary. They don't want a natural balance. They don't want males to gain equality and they especially don't want to have to copulate with males."

Marie laughed, "They don't know what they're missing."

Carrie Anne23 smiled, "I find it hard to believe it feels as good as you claim, but your child is living proof that you would know. Well, I have a lot to do. I better get busy." She got up to leave when Percy started to cry.

"What's that sound?"

"It's the baby, he's crying for me to pick him up. It's not time for feeding, so he must need to be changed.'

"Can I stay and observe?"

"Sure."

Carrie Anne23 walked with Marie into the bedroom She saw a red faced screaming blob on the bed, but Marie treated it like it was gold. She picked it up and looked into its eyes and said sweet things and sounds that made the baby quiet. Carrie Anne23 looked into Marie's arms and the only thing she saw was two beautiful blue eyes staring at her. Carrie Anne23 was amazed, not only at the clarity of the blue, but of the obvious intelligence. The baby smiled at her and she stepped back in shock.

"Was that a smile? Did he smile at me?" she asked Marie.

"Oh yes, he's even laughing these days. Would you like to hold him?"

"I don't know how."

"Easy." Marie showed Carrie Anne23 how to hold the baby.

When Carrie Anne23 took Percy in her arms she marveled at the warmth and weight of the baby. He reached up with his little fist towards her chin and smiled again. Carrie Anne23 was enchanted. So this is what it's like to hold a small human being in your arms. I can understand the attraction. If he were mine, I'd want to keep him safe too.

She handed Percy back, "I'm glad I stayed. I understand now. Marie, I'm frightened for you and Percy. There are strong forces on the Board of Governors and they are not going to want a baby boy allowed lose in the streets. At the very most, these Governors, might let you go live in a Colony with the baby."

"As long as he's not alone. But the best thing for him is to send him back."

"Okay, I'll try. Goodbye Marie. Goodbye Percy." She touched a finger to Percy's little cheek and laughed. "He's very addictive, isn't he?"

Marie nodded.